Matrix-stick



P. P. MERRILL Nov. 21, 1933.

MATRIX STICK Filed June 25, 1932 3 t .z w j W wwwk 60 55 7M 1 2 j; 1 l w 1 w fi w 1m.mN fl Mw n: WW W HVfi m m 3 WW 0 2 Mu a a Dmww m 1 M Mu mr1 m E W W m 1 M A b 5 M 1 My W? D 3 JXA m m 5 W M j E EU m /L 0 0 a E 1 6 w Patented Nov. 21, 1933 TES TE E MATRIX-STICK- Philip P. Merrill, Evanston, 111.,

Ludlow Typograph Company, Chicago, corporation of Illinois assignor to 111., a

Application June 25,1932. Serial No. 619,341,

- 2 Claims. (01. 199-47) My invention relates to sticks for matricessuch as are commonly employed in the casting of typeslugs bearing lines of printing characters, these sticks being provided for receiving and holding a number of detached matrices in selected relation, thereby forming a composite matrix apart from, but adapted ,to co-operate' with, a mold when the stick-is temporarily applied to operative position with relation thereto and produce the desired line of printing characters on the slug formed in the mold.

It is often desirable in the printing of matter occupying a plurality of lines, such as in column printing, that the printed matter at the ends of the several lines thereof be accurately vertically alined in the printed composition, which'requires that the matrices assembled in the stick, foreach linezof printing characters, present composite matrices of exactly the same length for the several lines of printing characters.

My object is. to provide a matrix stick with indicator means, co-operating with-the movablequad-clamping screw thereof, whereby the sev-' eral lines of matrices composed in succession in the stick, may be'caused to be of exactly the same length as determined by the first-composed line for the purpose above stated.

Referring to the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a broken plan view of a matrixstick embodying my invention and showing it in position for casting in a slug-casting machine.

Figure 2 is a broken view in vertical sectional elevation of the stick and slug-casting machine, the section being taken at the irregular line 2 on Fig. 1 and viewed in the direction of the arrow.

Figure 3 is a faceview of plural-line column printing illustrating the vertical alinement of the lines of printed characters at opposite ends of the lines and for the producing of which my present improvements have been devised; and

Figure 4, a broken, enlarged, sectional view taken at the line 4 on Fig. 1 and viewed in the direction of the arrow.

In accordance with common practice the matrix stick shown at 5 and embodying my invention as hereinafter described, co-operates with a mold-member 6 of a line-slug casting machine as commonly provided, presenting a moldcavity '7 in which the shank of the line-slug to be produced is cast, the metal to form the slug being projected upwardly into the mold-cavity through its open bottom and against the line of matrices in the stick, which latter is accurately positioned relative to the mold-cavity. 7 by a stop 8 provided on the bed 9 of the machine and containing an opening 10 into which her 6 extends. y

' The matrix stick shown comprises a framelike body portion 11 presenting an opening 12 in which thematrices 13 against which the metal introduced into the mold cavity 7 is cast toform the slug-head line of printing characters on the slug, are positioned, one of the side bars of the frame 11 being provided witha scale 14 presenting graduations corresponding with the dif-. ferent lengths of slug-head lines to be produced.

The matrix stick also comprises a block 15 slidable in the opening 12 and forming the movable end quad of the stick, and by which theline ofmatrices is clamped against the stationary-endpiece 16 of the frame 11.

The end quad 15 is operated by means of a screw shaft 17 rotatably mounted in theother stationary end piece 18 of the frame, 11 in which it is held against lengthwise movement therein, the threaded'portion 19 of the shaft screwing in the threaded opening 20 in the end quad 15.

The shaft 17 is shown as provided with a flange 21 at which it bears against the inner face of the end-piece 18 and, at the opposite face of the .80. end-piece 18 with a sleeve 22 pinned thereto at 23 and presentinga flange 24, a knurled knob 19 by which the shaft 17 may be readily operated being attached to the outer end of the sleeve 22 the'mold mem in spaced relation to the flange 24, the construc- 851 tion just described'serving to adapt the shaft for rotation in the end piece 18 but restraining it against lengthwise movement therein. 7

In accordance with my invention I provide means angularly positionable abouttheshaft 17 90, and serving as an indicator for thecperator'in spacing, or justifying, in succession, the lines of matrices in the stick, these means in the particular construction shown comprising a sleeve 25 surrounding the shaft 17 and sleeve 22 andangularly adjustable about the longitudinal axis of these parts. The sleeve 25, which is preferably knurled as represented at 26, is provided with an inwardly extending annular flange 27 spaced from the flange 24. Surrounding the sleeve 22 and located between the flanges 24 and 27 is' a coil spring 28 which yieldingly forces the sleeve 25 at its flange 27 against the opposing face of the knob 19 to frictionally grip the sleeve 25 to the knob 19 and thus to the shaft 17 to cause the sleeve 25 to rotate with the shaft but permit it to be rotated by the operator about the shaft into different angular positions thereon, the sleeve 25 having a line-marking 29 co-operating Q with a line-marking 30 on the adjacent end piece of the frame 11 and forming indexing means.

In the use of the matrix stick for composing lines of matrices in succession, the operator assembles in the opening 12 of the stick, the line of matrices 13 and spaces 31 for the casting of the printing characters of the first slug of the plural line-slug composition, having regard to the length of the slug-head line, or measure, to be produced. The scale 14 serves as a guide in this connection and in the particular example illustrated the slug-head line is to be of 22 pica meas ure so that the line of matrices justified, as for example, by the spaces 31, closely approximates registration with the 22 mark on scale 14 when the quad-screw 19 is tightened sufficiently to clamp the line of justified matrices in the stick against displacement therein in the handling of the stick, but without sufficient pressure to prevent relative floating of the stick and matrices in the assembling of the stick with the slug casting machine, into casting position. Following this clamping operation the sleeve 25 is rotated relative to the shaft 19 to a position in which the A; marking 29 exactly registers with the marking 30.

After producing the first line-slug referred to, the operator backs away the quad by reversely rotating the shaft 19, to release the matrices and spaces in the stick for their removal and replacement by the matrices and spaces from which matricesthe printing characters on the second line-slug to be cast for composition with the first line-slug, are produced. As the sleeve rotates with the shaft 19 the positioning of the sleeve on the shaft to cause its marking 29 to register with the marking 30 in the clamped condition of the first line of justified matrices as above stated, is not disturbed, and the marking 29serves as an accurate guide to the operator in justifying this second line of matrices to exactly thesame measure as the first line of justified matrices, the operator spacing out, as by the spaces 31, the matrices to justify this second line to such an extent that when the quad 15 clamps the line of matrices and spaces with the desired force, as above explained, the marking 29 on the sleeve 25 will exactly register with the marking 30. As will be understood the lines of matrices and spaces used in producing the others of the line-slugs to complete the composition are clamped, in succession, in the stick, the sleeve 25 remaining in the position to which it was rotated on the shaft 19 for the first line of matrices, throughout the assembling and spacing of all of the lines of matrices used-in producing the slug-line composition. Thus all of .thezlines of printing produced by the impressions made by the several line-slugs cast from matrices as above stated will be accurately alined at both ends of the lines of printing as shown in Fig. 3.

While I have illustrated and described a particular construction embodying my invention, I do not wish to be understood as intending to limit it thereto, as the same may be variously modified and altered without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A matrix stick comprising a'frame' portion to receive matrices and spaces; means for clamping the matrices and spaces in said frameand comprising a rotatable operating element, an outwardly extending projection on said element, a sleeve rotatable on said element, an inwardly extending projection on said sleeve, a spring between said element and sleeve and engaging said projections and pressing said sleeve into frictional engagement with said element, and indexing means comprising co-operating portions one of which is on said sleeve.

2. A matrix stick comprising a frame portion to receive matrices and spaces, a sliding blockfor clamping the matrices andspaces in said frame portion, a screw shaft journaled in said frame portion and held against longitudinal movement and having threaded engagement with said block, an outwardly extending projection on said screw shaft, a sleeve rotatable on said screw shaft, an inwardly extending projection onsaid sleeve, a spring between said screw-shaft andsleeve and engaging said projections and pressing said sleeve into frictional engagement withsaid screw shaft, and indexing means comprising co'- operating portions one-of which is on said sleeve;

PHILIP P. "MERRILL; 

